THE origin of what was then the religious and military Order of Poor Fellow-Soldiers (or Knights) of Christ and the Temple of Solomon goes back to 1118, which makes it probably the oldest ''formed'' chivalric order in the world.

Its original objective was to combine the functions of monk and knight, protecting Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land.

After the Crusades ended, trouble began between King Philip IV of France and the Templars. Philip became intent on destroying the order and had its Grand Master, Jacques de Molay, burned at the stake.

After his death in 1314 the order entered its ''period of silence'', though it was still headed by the bravest Chevaliers of France.

From 1705, the Templars enjoyed a new lease of life and in the mid-1800s the order was at the peak of its prosperity.

Hitler beleved the Templars held the secret of the hidden resting place of the Ark of the Covenant so when the Nazis overran Belgium in the Second World War all the order's archives and treasures were smuggled across France and Spain to safety in Portugal.

For more information on the historic order, contact David Lunt on 0161 941 4466 or telephone 07814 025049.